"I am not paid to be optimistic"
Russia's top diplomat held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry last March in Switzerland's Lausanne, where several world leaders had been working hard to hammer out a final decision on Iran's nuclear program.
When asked by a reporter whether he was optimistic about the possibility of the deal, Sergei Lavrov said: "I'm not paid to be optimistic."
#Iran talks humor:
— Matt Lee (@APDiploWriter) 29 марта 2015 г.
Q: Are you optimistic?
Lavrov: "I'm not paid to be optimistic."
Kerry: "You're not paid enough to be optimistic."
Kerry carried on with the joke, saying "You are not paid enough to be optimistic."
"Russia has time and again saved Europe from Europe itself"
"We can’t lose Europe. Europe without Russia is not Europe. Russia has time and again saved Europe from Europe itself," said Sergei Lavrov in a live broadcast in "Voskresny Vecher" (Sunday Evening) TV show on Rossiya 1 news channel, while commenting on cooperation between Russia and Brussels, December 2014.
"Who are you to f…ing lecture me?"
The alleged quote dates back to 2008 when Sergei Lavrov supposedly used the word, quoting one of his colleagues, in a conversation with then-Foreign Secretary David Miliband over the 2008 conflict with Georgia and Miliband's urge for setting a dialogue with Saakashvili.
Kom.Pravda publishes some of Sergei Lavrov's "most famous quotes", including this one to David Miliband. pic.twitter.com/6yKNejNsez
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) 21 марта 2016 г.
"It is politically incorrect for a lady to address a gentleman on her knees"
Back in 2015, Russian Foreign Minister dismissed a question from a female reporter at a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry by telling her not to address a man while "on her knees."
"It is politically incorrect for a lady to address a gentleman on her knees," he told the reporter, as he pointed to Kerry and laughed. Kerry clasped his hands together and stared into the distance.
If it [a country] looks like a terrorist, acts like a terrorist, walks like a terrorist, fights like a terrorist, it's a terrorist, right?
The Russian Foreign Minister brushes aside American complaints that their air strikes are not actually targeting Islamic State militants.
Lavrov was addressing reporters at the UN in New York on October 1, 2015, on the second day of airstrikes by Russian warplanes in Syria.
Today Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey #Lavrov turns 66! Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/Y4UkMXimeG
— Rus Embassy in RSA (@EmbassyofRussia) 21 марта 2016 г.
Asked to define "other terrorist groups," Lavrov said: "If it looks like a terrorist, acts like a terrorist, walks like a terrorist, fights like a terrorist, it's a terrorist, right?"
"Russia doesn't want an arms race"
"Russia doesn't want an arms race. Russia would not engage in an arms race. We have enough technological means to provide a not very expensive answer to the efforts to build a missile defense," Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Channel NewsAsia in Kuala Lumpur on August 5, 2015.
"It is absolutely unacceptable to talk to Russia — or anyone for that matter — in the language of ultimatums and coercive measures"
When asked about talks of a new Cold War in relations between the west and Russia, Sergei Lavrov replied:
"It is absolutely unacceptable to talk to Russia – or anyone for that matter – in the language of ultimatums and coercive measures. Our response to unilateral steps by the United States, the EU and some other countries has been balanced and in line with the rights and obligations of Russia under international treaties, including the World Trade Organization."
The comments came in an interview with Russia Beyond the Headlines in September 2014.
"I'm not surprised about Russophobia in US Congress"
When asked if he believed the US was trying to impose regime change in Moscow by undermining the Russian economy, Lavrov said he had "very serious reasons to believe this is the case."
The comments came in an interview with France24 in December 2014.
Sergey Viktorovich #LAVROV
— John Delacour (@JohnDelacour) 21 марта 2016 г.
66 today
Happy birthday! pic.twitter.com/PggHwbSQuu
"If you look at the US Congress, 80 percent of them have never left the USA, so I'm not surprised about Russophobia in Congress," said the Foreign Minister at the time.
"We have overestimated the independence of the European Union [from the US]"
In the same interview Sergei Lavrov commented on the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the EU:
Happy birthday the the wonderful sergey lavrov 😘😘😘😘😘 pic.twitter.com/TDQYHgzmkt
— Fran #sexywelshpot! (@francesdavies15) 21 марта 2016 г.
"Of course sanctions hurt, but I don’t believe the sanctions will help the European Union. The United States ordered the EU to impose sanctions and frankly we overestimated the independence of the European Union [from the US]."
"It’s childish – but what to do?" Sometimes the big boys play games."
This comment came with regards to relationship between Russia and NATO, which has cut practically all ties with Russia while moving "close to the Russian border" but still wanted Russian help to train Afghan pilots.
